The Underdogs
With victories in both the T20s and the ODIs, the Indian Contingent took the field in the 1st Test at the Super Sports Park, with considerable confidence, looking to conquer the elusive Rainbow Nation bastion. The South Africans too had not posed much of a challenge in White ball games and were the underdogs without a question when play began on Boxing Day.
A Well Planned Strategic Move by SA
In a strategic move, the South African think tank had kept their bowling strength out of much of the T20s and ODIs, so that their key pace attack appeared fresh and raring to go. The move paid rich dividends with debutant Nandre Burger, the ever-improving Marco Jansen, the young spearhead Gerald Coetzee and the finest of the lot Kagiso Rabada unleashed on the Indian batting lineup, in more than helpful conditions.
Brilliant Rabada & An Exquisite KL Rahul
KG Rabada, in my opinion, bowled one of the finest spells of pace bowling this year, picked a fifer and had India struggling in no time. The White ball stalwarts were just unable to counter the seam, swing and pace of the SA bowlers. However, KL Rahul scored one of India’s best centuries on foreign soil and helped India reach 245 at the end of the first innings.
Dean Elgar’s Daddy Hundred
It was India’s turn to bowl and barring Jasprit Bumrah and to an extent, Siraj, the rest of the pace bowling was directionless, sprayed all around. Dean Elgar punished the bowlers with disdain along with debutant David Bedingham and Marco Jansen. Elgar scored a Daddy Hundred amassing 185 runs on a not-so-easy wicket to bat. India seriously missed the services of Shami, who could have been a real handful. Prasidh Krishna had a forgetful debut and Shardul Thakur was totally ineffective. South Africa cantered to 408, with a huge 163-run lead.
Indian Batting : Ineffectively Flashy
The Indian batters were expected to put up a better show in the second innings, however what unfortunately transpired was a hapless display. The resilience and tenacity of Pujara were missed big time, as the young guns erred on the side of aggression and paid with their wickets. Some lovely drives and then a false shot were invariably the trends the batters followed. The SA bowlers just kept bowling tight lines and were rewarded. Shubhman Gill and Shreyas Iyer missing straight balls to get castled was surprising, while KL Rahul who had shown such maturity in the first innings, played a flashy drive, giving a simple catch. The tail hardly wagged. With a mountain to climb, only Virat Kohli waged a lonely battle and his departure handed a famous victory to South Africa. A drubbing of sorts with an innings and 32 runs, within 3 days.
Do Not Count The Indians Out
The South Africans, with this win, have made a strong statement and it is up to the Indians to give a befitting reply when the teams square up on the 3rd of January 2024 at Cape Town. Though they have been comprehensively beaten, just don’t count the Indians out, they have been a force to reckon with, and may come back strongly with a statement of their own.
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Featured Image : Deal Elgar Celebrates his Ton against India
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